Hello,
I recently picked up the re-release of the Lindberg 1/95 scale USCG Lightship Nantucket. The model is about 17 inches long, and I thought it would make a nice feature to go with the 1/96 scale ships at our annual night run.
I'm currently thinking about building the boat just as a floating Lightship, though I might change my mind and add running gear and a simple 2 channel RC unit.
So, I'm looking for advice from anyone who may have put a working light on a Lightship model, or even just some ideas on the best way to do this......
I know that I can find bright lights-- but I want something that will last for more than a quarter hour on whatever batteries I can get in the 17 inch hull....
I also have to figure out the best way to do the blinking. As I understand it, the lights on lightships worked like the ones in light houses-- from a distance, they apperaed to blink-- i.e. one flash every 4 seconds, say, while up close you could see the blinking was the result of the light rotating. I can think of three ways to do this:
1. mount a directional light (like a bulb and reflector from a small flashlight), and actually have that rotate.
2. Mount a fixed 360 degree bulb, and have a hood or cover with a hole in one side rotate around it.
3. Use electronics to simulate the light-- I know that in the US, MicroMark sells an electronic doo-dad for use in model train layouts that gives the effect of rotating light- instead of a harsh off-full on-off of the light, you get a gentle increase in brightness to full power, simulating the effect of the light getting brighter as it comes around to point directly at you, and then fades away.
Given that the model is 1/95 scale, I think that it will be difficult to do a mechanical rotation, so that leaves the electonic blinking as the only option......
Looking forward to some feedback.....